Little gull
Hydrocoloeus minutus
Nikita Tiunov · Poti, Samegrelo Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 24–28 cm, wingspan 62–69 cm; about 100 g
- Diet
- Insects, small fish, marine invertebrates
- Status in Georgia
- Migrant, winter visitor
- Recorded regions
- Adjara; Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti; Abkhazia; Shida Kartli; Guria
- Habitat
- Sea coast, river mouths, lakes, marshes
- Family
- Laridae
- Conservation
- Global LC (2018); Georgia LC (2024)
The little gull is the smallest gull in the world, 24–28 cm long with a wingspan of 62–69 cm, and weighs about 100 g. It flies lightly, with fluttering, erratic wingbeats, more like a marsh tern than a gull. In summer it has an all-black head, a dark red bill and bright red legs. The back and upperwings are pale grey, while the underwing is dark grey and looks almost black in flight. It is harmless to people. If you see a small, buoyant gull over the sea or a lake whose wings look black from below, it is most likely a little gull. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a migrant and a winter visitor. Records run from winter to autumn, with most in September, during the autumn migration. Most records come from Adjara, at the Chorokhi Delta, followed by the coasts of Samegrelo, Abkhazia and Guria, and Nadarbazevi Lake. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC).
Identification
Little gull: how to identify it
It is the smallest gull in the world. In every plumage the adult has pale grey upperwings and almost black underwings with a white trailing edge. In summer the head is all black; in winter it is white, with a dark cap and a dark spot by the ear.
In breeding plumage the head and upper neck are all black, without a white eye-ring. The bill is short, thin and dark red, and the legs short and bright red. The underparts are white, sometimes with a pink flush on the belly.
The underwing is dark grey with a white trailing edge and looks almost black in flight. This makes the little gull easy to pick out from similar gulls. In winter the head turns white, with dark spots on the crown and behind the eye, and the bill turns black.
Young birds have a lot of blackish feathering on the back and head, and in flight show a dark "M" or "W" pattern across the upperwings, with white underwings. Dark feathers on the flanks recall a black tern. The call is melodic, a rhythmic "kei, kei, kei".
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
It breeds by shallow fresh water with dense vegetation, emergent or floating-leaved plants: by lakes, slow rivers, marshes and bogs, occasionally coastal lagoons. On migration it mostly follows the coast, but it also stops on inland waters. It winters on the sea coast, on sandy and muddy shores, at river mouths and out at sea, often near sewage outfalls. In Georgia most records come from Adjara, from the Chorokhi Delta and Batumi, mainly in September, and from Kvariati in January. In Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Guria it is seen on the coast at Poti, Khobi, Maltakva and Grigoleti. In Abkhazia the records come from Gantiadi, Gagra, Gulripshi and Sukhumi. In Shida Kartli it was seen at Nadarbazevi Lake, in Gori Municipality, in September. There are single records from Kumisi Lake and Dusheti Municipality.
The little gull map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. Five regions have enough records: Adjara, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Abkhazia, Shida Kartli and Guria.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
When breeding it eats mainly insects, which it catches on the wing close to the water, like a swallow: dragonflies, beetles, midges, mayflies, water bugs and their larvae. On migration it also feeds mainly on insects. In winter it switches to small fish and marine invertebrates. It also picks food from the water surface and from plants, and settles on the water, but it does not dive.
It is a migrant. It arrives at its breeding grounds from late April to late May and leaves them from mid-July. It winters on the coasts of Europe, including the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas. Outside the breeding season it is sociable: usually 10–20 birds feed or rest together, and in bad weather hundreds or thousands gather on sheltered waters. It starts laying in mid-June. It usually nests in small, loose colonies of 5–50 pairs, together with black-headed gulls and terns. Some pairs nest alone. The nest is on the ground or on the water, fixed to emergent plants, 1–1.5 m from its neighbours. The female lays 2–3, rarely 4 eggs. Both parents incubate for 20–22 days. The chicks leave the nest at 3 days old and start to fly at 21–24 days. It reaches adult plumage at three years.
Globally the little gull is rated Least Concern (LC, 2018). A 2006 estimate puts the population at about 97,000–270,000 birds. Worldwide its numbers are rising, but in Europe, where 23,700–45,200 pairs breed, they are falling: the decline from 2000 to 2032 is close to 30%. It is at risk from oil spills and marine pollution, including farm run-off, from bycatch in fishing nets, from collisions with offshore wind farms and from disturbance by shipping, although at present these threats do not have a large effect on the population. The species is listed in Appendix II of the Bern Convention and is covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). The 2024 Georgian checklist also rates it Least Concern (LC) in Georgia.
Nikita Tiunov · Elena Shnayder · Vladimir Belinsky · niriel_isilme · Pavel Shukov · Alexander Abuladze
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Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a migrant and a winter visitor. Records run from January to October, with most in September.
On the Black Sea coast, most often in the Chorokhi Delta and near Batumi, in September. It is also seen on the coast at Poti, Khobi and Maltakva, and in Abkhazia near Gantiadi, Gagra and Sukhumi. Inland it has been seen at Nadarbazevi Lake.
It is a very small gull with a light, fluttering flight. The underside of the wings looks almost black. In summer the head is all black, the bill dark red and the legs red. In winter the head is white, with a dark cap and a dark spot by the ear.
It is 24–28 cm long, with a wingspan of 62–69 cm, and weighs about 100 g. It is the smallest gull in the world.
In summer and on migration mainly insects, which it catches in flight or from the water surface. In winter it eats small fish and marine invertebrates.
In the north, by shallow freshwater lakes and marshes with dense vegetation, from June. Usually in small colonies, together with black-headed gulls and terns. The female lays 2–3 eggs, and both parents incubate for 20–22 days.
It is harmless to people. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC), although its numbers in Europe are falling. Marine pollution and bycatch in nets threaten it. If you find an injured bird, call 112 or the environmental protection service.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
